Jefferson County, Oregon, is heading toward a district attorney election with only one declared candidate, according to reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting. The county’s sole applicant for the position is former Wasco County District Attorney Eric Nisley, whose law license was previously suspended following a disciplinary investigation. The situation is unfolding as Jefferson County faces a mounting backlog of criminal referrals and an ongoing struggle to maintain adequate prosecutorial staffing.

Public records cited in OPB’s reporting show that Nisley served five terms as Wasco County’s DA, from 1999 to 2020. In 2018, the Oregon State Bar suspended his license for 60 days after finding he had misrepresented his actions during an internal investigation involving the county’s finance director. OPB reports that the director accused Nisley of targeting her after she rejected his advances, allegations he denied. OPB further reports that the Oregon Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that the suspension alone did not disqualify him from office.

Jefferson County hired Nisley as a temporary prosecutor in 2021, after he lost reelection in Wasco County. County officials later approved a full-time chief deputy position for him in 2024. When the district attorney’s seat became vacant last year, OPB reports that Nisley applied to serve as interim DA, but Governor Tina Kotek appointed outgoing DA Steven Leriche to continue in an acting role instead.

According to OPB’s reporting, Jefferson County’s prosecutor shortage has left roughly 80 police referrals waiting for review. Leriche told OPB that the office is operating with only two deputy prosecutors when it should have four. The county recently contracted with an outside temporary prosecutor to help manage the workload.

Commissioner Kelly Simmelink told OPB that rural counties face the same constitutional obligations as Oregon’s larger jurisdictions but with fewer resources. He said he would like to see the state fund at least one full-time deputy prosecutor position in Jefferson County, describing existing state support structures as weighted toward urban centers.

Local defense attorneys also raised concerns. OPB reports that longtime public defender William Condron said delays in charging decisions can affect defendants’ employment prospects and potentially distort statewide caseload metrics used to allocate funding for public defense services.

OPB further notes that after moving to Jefferson County, Nisley faced additional ethics complaints connected to his prior tenure in Wasco County, but the Oregon State Bar dismissed those allegations in 2023. Commissioner Simmelink described Nisley to OPB as a longtime local resident who, in his view, is capable of running the office.

With the filing deadline approaching on March 10, voters in Jefferson County may ultimately see only one candidate for district attorney. The outcome could shape how the county addresses its prosecutor shortage, growing case backlog, and long-term recruitment challenges.

Why this matters for Southwest Washington

Rural justice systems across the Pacific Northwest, including in Southwest Washington, face similar structural pressures: limited applicant pools, high turnover among early‑career attorneys, and gaps between constitutional obligations and available county resources. Jefferson County’s experience highlights how shortages within prosecutorial offices can stall cases, affect defendants’ daily lives, and complicate statewide funding decisions. Communities along the I‑5 corridor—especially those in smaller or resource‑strained jurisdictions—may find themselves confronting parallel challenges as they work to maintain timely, accountable legal processes.

Sources

Oregon Public Broadcasting: A lone candidate is running for Jefferson County’s District Attorney